


take my hand, take my whole life too

by cursebreakker



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Comfort No Hurt, F/M, Fluff without Plot, Love at First Sight, No Angst, No Smut, Rey is a sweetheart, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Soft Ben Solo, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, explicit hand holding, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25266505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cursebreakker/pseuds/cursebreakker
Summary: Ben Solo thinks the term "professional hand holder" is very dumb, but he's also incredibly intrigued by it.So what if he messaged this Rey person and paid for a session? He's just curious.That's it. Nothing more.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 47
Kudos: 180
Collections: Galactic Idiots Collection





	take my hand, take my whole life too

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies
> 
> This popped into my head after I saw one of [Fran's](https://twitter.com/galacticidiots)  
> tweets and I simply had to write it.
> 
> I'd like to thank my lovely readers and this amazing fandom I find myself part of. Consider leaving a kudos and maybe a comment to warm up my heart, stay well and enjoy your reading <3
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/reyIotrash)

Professional hand holder. 

He scoffed. Was that even a thing? 

Ben didn’t even know why he was scrolling through this ads app, maybe he was just bored who knows? It’s not like he has anything better to do with his Friday night. 

_Rey_ _Johnson, professional hand holder_ _. $35/hour_ _. Attends in residence only._

Why would someone even need to hire a “professional hand holder”? What was there to specialize in? He could bet this guy’s hand was sweaty after one minute of handholding just like the rest of the world’s. What was so special about him? 

Ben clicked on the add and scrolled through the comment section. It was all praises. “Great conversationalist, really made me feel better!”, or “Pretty smile, pretty soul. Great work! Would 100% hire again.” He couldn’t keep from rolling his eyes at all the comments complimenting this guy’s smile or his politeness. 

It was still a very stupid “profession”. 

And Ben was thoroughly invested in it now. 

So, it came as no surprise that he hired Rey’s services. _Just to see what all the fuss is about_ , he told himself as he brushed his teeth and thought about the $35.00 he’d be spending to have his hand _held_. 

God, if Hux ever found out about this he was so done. He’d never heard the end of it. 

Rey had a contact number he’d used to set up the “meeting”, he called it a “heart-to-heart” and Ben wanted to puke just thinking about it. What had he gotten himself into? The guy told him he’d be free around 3PM, so that’s when Ben told him to come. After sending the dude his address, he could only hope this wasn’t some next level con-job and Rey wouldn't show up with a gang of thieves to rob him blind. 

Ben went to sleep worried, thinking about the “heart-to-heart” session he had noted down on his planner for Saturday afternoon. 

♡ ♡ ♡

He was almost certain his stomach wouldn’t keep down any food he tried to put into his body today. 

Ben had woken up thinking about the meeting he’d set up for later in the day and immediately felt his entire body closing down. It wasn’t that he was _nervous_ , because that would be very dumb. He simply wasn’t used to strangers invading his personal space. Much less strangers invading his personal space to _specifically_ touch him. And he’d be paying for it, which made the entire thing even more absurd. 

He half wondered if there was any way he could ask Rey for his money back, he’d already sent a tenth of this guy’s asking price through PayPal and would be completing the transaction after the meeting was done. However, Ben might be many things but a quitter wasn’t one of them. 

There was much to do while he waited for the clock to hit 3PM, he had emails to read and respond to, the living room needed to be tidied up and why not bake some peanut butter cookies? He could bet good money that his guest liked peanut butter cookies. 

Ben mopped the bathroom until it was squeaky clean, watered his indoor plants and sprayed air freshener in the entire apartment. Then, it got too much and he had to open the windows. Rey would probably not even smell it, though, because the peanut butter cookies were wafting its buttery scent in the air and inviting anyone to take a bite. 

When there was nothing left to do, Ben sat in his couch and stared at the numbers on the digital clock over the TV stand. It was almost 3PM. 

The minutes seemed to take forever to pass, there was an uncomfortable feeling at the pit of his stomach and he could feel his hands getting sweaty. Which was _not_ good. 

Finally, the intercom buzzed and Ben practically stumbled over his long legs to get to it. He picked up the phone, telling the doorman he could let whoever was there to see him in. Then, he waited. 

Not long after, his doorbell rang. 

_Now or never_ , he thought before walking towards the door. 

He noticed two things upon opening the door. 

  1. Rey was definitely not a man. 
  2. She also happened to be the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. 



She smiled, and he felt his breath catch. 

“Hi, I’m Rey.” And, _of course_ , she had a British accent. 

Ben opened his door wider, stepping aside to let her in. He thought he smiled back, but it might have looked like a grimace from her point of view. 

She was dressed in a floral dress that reached her mid-thigh and he could see yellow nail polish on her toes with the type of sandals she was wearing. He thought that the color matched her. 

“Where do you want me?” 

His brain short circuited. “Excuse me?” 

“For our heart-to-heart. Do you want me at the couch? Or we could go to your bedroom, I’m ok with either.” 

Ben was certain he should _not_ think about Rey in his bedroom, it was very inappropriate. So, he told her they’d stay on the couch. 

She touched the leaves of his Pancake Plant, situated on a shady spot in his bookshelf, before waltzing to the couch. Rey sat down with a little huff, then looked up at him. 

“Ben, you can come closer. I don’t bite.” She smiled, and for the second time that day he thought his lungs had lost the ability to function properly. 

He wiped his sweaty hands on the fabric of his pants, not at all looking forward to holding hands with a pretty girl for one hour. It felt incredibly stupid and needy and he wanted nothing do to with it. 

“I can tell you’re thinking too much,” Rey said, cutting through his trail of thoughts. “Please, sit down.” 

As if she was the hostess and him her guest, he took a seat beside her. She turned her upper body to him, hands positioned in the space between their bodies. She had neat, yellow painted nails. 

“Can I hold your hand now, Ben?” 

He looked up, meeting her eyes. Then, he nodded. 

Rey reached for one of the hands resting on his lap, the moment her warm skin made contact with his he could feel his chest constrict. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been touched. 

She was very delicate, he could feel her eyes studying his reaction and when he didn’t bolt she reached another hand and took his other one. He was positive that his palms were soaked in sweat, but Rey was either too nice to comment on it or she simply didn’t mind. 

Or maybe she was just good at her job. 

“Is this alright?” 

He couldn’t form sentences, his brain was hyper focused on the sensation of another’s skin pressed against his. Even if it was just the skin of her hands. Inconsequential as it may be, it felt like _too much_. So, he had to resort to nods and shakes of his head to communicate. 

Ben nodded. 

“Do you want to talk? I’m a good listener.” Once again, she smiled and Ben understood all the comments about her pretty smile now. He too could see himself posting a very similar comment after she left. 

He shook his head, because he didn’t want to talk. He wanted to watch her and feel her skin touching his. He wanted to bask in the warmth and pleasantness human contact brought him. 

How touch starved he’d been. 

“Do you want to put some music on?” 

Another shake of his head. 

“Do you mind if I put some music on?” 

He shook his head once more. 

Rey let go of one of his hands momentarily to reach for her phone in the small side bag she’d brought with her. He could see over her shoulder as she opened the Spotify app and selected a playlist named “heart to heart”. A soft and uplifting song started to play, filling the silence between them. 

She took his hand again and he squeezed it tightly, which made her giggle. 

Ben was completely entranced by her. The way she bobbed her head to the music or occasionally lip synched the lyrics, her hazel eyes studying the books on his bookshelf and the way she got excited after she saw a copy of her favorite book there. 

He’d never met someone more enchanting, and now he understood why people paid to have this ethereal creature hold their hands. 

He would pay for it again. As many times as she’d be willing to come to him. 

Without saying much, she’d spelled him. 

One hour passed so quickly, he was disappointed when the music on her playlist was interrupted by a shrilly alarm. 

“That’s our time.” 

She pulled her hands away. He felt adrift. 

“Was this good for you, Ben?” 

He nodded. Still too flustered to use words. 

“Maybe next time you’ll be a bit more chatty, eh?” 

Swallowing around his thick tongue, he managed to say: “Would you meet me again?” 

She smiled. “Of course!” 

Ben stared. He had no reaction. 

Rey stalled, rubbing her hands against her thighs. There was something in her mind, he could tell it. 

“I’ll complete the payment, don’t worry,” he said, deducing she was probably gathering her courage to ask him to pay her. 

“No, that’s not it,” she replied softly. 

Still, she didn’t say anything else or gave any signs she’d be moving anytime soon. 

He remembered the cookies, then. 

“I have peanut butter cookies,” he blurted. 

She looked up, meeting his eyes. Smiling. 

“Care for some?” 

“Yes,” she said, quickly. “Thank you.” 

Ben went into his kitchen, grabbed the plate or cookies—which were still warm—and brought them back to the living room where Rey was touching the spines of his books. 

“You read a lot?” She asked, mindlessly picking a volume from the bookshelf. 

“Yes, it’s kind of my job.” 

She turned her head to him, clearly interested in what he had to say. Ben noticed this was the longest he’d spent in company of a woman alone in his apartment. Which was honestly a bit sad. 

“What do you do?” 

“I’m a book critic,” he informed, taking a seat on his couch once more. 

She picks a cookie from the plate and brings it to her mouth. He tries not to watch her lips as they wrap around the cookie, but fails miserably. 

“That’s very interesting,” she said after chewing and swallowing a piece of the cookie. “It must be a dream job. To read for a living.” 

“It’s a job,” he replied, “after some time all the fun of it gets sucked away.” 

Rey twirls a loose strand of her hair between her fingers. “My job is always fun.” 

“Even if you’re holding a thirty year old man’s hand who has trouble speaking to pretty girls?” 

She blushed, looking away. 

_Damn_ , he thinks, _did I cross a line?_

“Especially then,” she said timidly after some time, and his breathing returned to normal. 

“Lucky you,” he adds, good humored. 

Rey smiled, brightening up the room. “Lucky me.” 

When she left, he felt like she’d took some of the sunshine with her. It was fitting of her name, he thought, if she truly could bring sunshine into a room and take it with her once she left. 

His cellphone bleeped in another room and he went to it, recognizing the notification sound for that of a new text message. 

Ben smiled when he saw it was from Rey. 

**_I meant it when I said_ ** **_“next time”_ **

He typed back: 

**_Is this you trying_ ** **_to have another meeting with me as a client or would you like to meet with me_ ** **_in a non-professional situation where I’d be buying you coffee?_ **

She didn’t take long to answer. 

**_Second option._ **

With a smile, he typed and hit send. 

**_Good._ ** **_Because I was going to ask you out anyway._ **

**_And I would’ve said yes_ **

**_It's a date, then_ **

**_It is._ **

Smiling like a fool, Ben went the rest of the day thinking about this turn of events. He had fully expected a disaster, even a good story to laugh about afterwards. He had never imagined he’d meet a lovely girl with the prettiest smile and a charming personality. 

It was safe to say he’d be giving her 5 stars under the “client satisfaction” bar and posting yet another comment singing praises about her. 

She deserved every bit of it. 


End file.
